Police shoot armed man in Skyline

These vehicles' windows were allegedly smashed by an agitated man wielding a sledgehammer and knives at his Skyline home Sunday morning. He later confronted police and was wounded several times.
— Howard Lipin / Union-Tribune

These vehicles' windows were allegedly smashed by an agitated man wielding a sledgehammer and knives at his Skyline home Sunday morning. He later confronted police and was wounded several times.
— Howard Lipin / Union-Tribune

San Diego  Police shot and wounded a man armed with a sledgehammer and several knives in Skyline Sunday morning.

Officers were called to the home on Jamacha Road near Chester Street at 8:43 a.m. after the man’s wife called and said he was “acting very crazy and smashing things,” San Diego police homicide Capt. Jim Collins said.

The woman told officers that her husband had awakened her about 8:30 a.m. after having trouble sleeping and told her they were “losing everything”, apparently due to financial problems, Collins said.

He then took a sledgehammer and smashed the windows of three vehicles, including a tow truck, that were parked in the driveway, Collins said.

When officers arrived they found him at a back door at the side of the house. They ordered him to drop his weapons and he did not comply, instead he raised the hammer and threatened them, Collins said. At some point he threw the hammer and one knife at them, the captain said.

Two officers opened fire striking the man in the chest and the leg.

Collins said the situation escalated very quickly. Police were at the small one-story home two minutes after the initial call and the man was shot three minutes later, according to authorities.

No other details, including how many shots were fired or how close the officers were to the man, were not disclosed.

Two children, ages 3 and 8, were in the home at the time, The wife had gone next door. None of them was injured.

The name of the man, in his 40s, was not released. He was taken to a hospital where he is expected to recover.

Each officer has been on the force for about two years. They were placed on administrative duty, which is routine, Collins said. Their names were not released.